Disc Records

Ermile Berliner is credited with making the first disc records, or gramophone discs as he coined them, in Germany in 1889. Though Berliner introduced his discs to the U.S. shortly afterward in 1894, this audio format did not hit its first peak in the U.S. market until the early 1920s. Records were created using an array of different materials over time, such as celluloid, rubber, cardboard, PVC sheets, shellac and eventually vinyl. In addition, they came in numerous designs, sizes and recording speeds, which got faster as demand increased and eventually led to the "War of the Speeds" in the late 1940s. The variety of disc formats is reflective of the large number of record companies competing to grab the attention of consumers. Some companies were widely successful (including Columbia, Pathé, Edison, and RCA Victor), but many only survived a few years and are relatively unknown today. 

Vinyl Record, 12", Long Play [LP], 33 1/3 RPM, "Ethnic Folk Songs From The South", 1962.

Cardboard Picture Disc, 6", 78 RPM, "Yankee Doodle", 1948.

Record Player

Shellac is a resin made from the secretions of the tiny Laccifer lacca (lac) insect. It is soft when heated but becomes rigid at room temperature. The earliest disc records were made from shellac, and it remained the main mass produced audio format in the United States through the 1950s. Most shellac records were recorded at speeds around 78 RPM. Disc records thrived on the market for 60+ years, until they were eventually surpassed by the rise of the CD in the late 1980s.

Shellac Record, 10", 78 RPM, "Moonlight Becomes You", 1942.